Don’t miss Olivier award-winning Giles Havergal’s funny and gorgeously colourful production as it returns to the stage this Autumn. Full of life and rustic charm, it draws out the warmth and depth of the characters in Donizetti’s opera, while sweeping audiences along in its fast-paced plot.

Hapless peasant Nemorino is head over heels in love with Adina, but to no avail. He seeks out a love potion from a travelling quack, which he hopes will turn her head despite the fact that it smells suspiciously like cheap red wine. He’s convinced it’s working when the village girls start to pay him some attention. Adina is mad with jealousy. Can it be that she loves him after all?

This hugely popular opera is full of lovely melodies (including the famous ‘Una furtiva lagrima’, a favourite of Pavarotti’s), mischievous arias, and riotous choruses. Amidst the comedy there’s a slightly darker message - that conmen sometimes win and perhaps the only true elixirs of love are money and alcohol.